The Nation’s Future

TV show description:
Airing on Saturday nights opposite parts of Gunsmoke and Have Gun, Will Travel, this debate program pits two internationally recognized public figures against one another as they express their very different opinions on a specific issue of the day. Topics include everything from birth control and censorship to foreign policy.

The show is initially moderated by John K. M. McCaffery. He left on May 27, 1961 and was replaced by Edwin Newman on the June 10th broadcast. In some cases, local stations would air just the first half of the program and then host their own debate on the same topic on a local level.

One notable episode, broadcast on November 26, 1960, features Martin Luther King, Jr. debating segregationist editor James J. KiFatrick. They appear before a studio audience of representatives from several civil rights and conservative groups as well as mayors attending the American Municipal Association Convention.